The evolution of digital learning raises an essential question: should you produce elearning content in-house or outsource it, and what impact does generative artificial intelligence (AI) have in this field?
This article explores the advantages and challenges of in-house production and outsourcing, taking in generative AI, which is transforming content creation.
Producing elearning content in-house has been encouraged in recent years by the growth of university programmes in multimedia instructional design, by the sustained involvement of internal subject-matter experts in content creation, and also by how easy rapid-learning software has become to use, alongside the growth of content-creation features inside LMS platforms.
The trend is reinforced today by the arrival of generative AI, which offers tools for creating personalised, adaptive content quickly. Rapid-learning software combined with AI makes it easier to build interactive, engaging training modules — though part of the content always has to be rewritten!
Outsourcing to a specialist agency brings real expertise on the learning mix to put in place, on producing the graphics, on marketing the training and on the communication strategy around your learning pathway.
An agency should be able to create highly personalised, inclusive content, fitted to varied audiences and varied learning environments. Using AI also makes it straightforward to develop multilingual courses and to build immersive learning experiences, which are not easily achievable in-house — most often for lack of time and of command of the tools and of graphic design.
A serious agency should also bring its knowledge of your LMS platform to get the most out of it: should the quizzes be built in the platform or in an external tool? What about how content is sequenced inside the platform?
In-house may be preferable for simple content that has to go live very quickly and that needs deep knowledge of the company, while outsourcing can be an advantage for projects requiring advanced technical expertise.
A hybrid strategy is also worth considering, where internal knowledge is complemented by the technical expertise of external agencies, particularly in the use of authoring tools, the constraints of going live, and AI for creating innovative, personalised learning experiences.
So, in-house or outsourced? It matters to assess internal skills, the available budget, and the ability to maintain the content over the long term. That includes assessing internal digital learning skills.
Budget is crucial and should not be looked at purely as expenditure. You have to account for the time and effort put in by subject-matter experts, and for managing those experts. An agency often knows how to handle experts and brings an outside eye that keeps the focus on what matters and moves past internal debate. The time and effort the project team puts into building the modules also counts: the daily cost of an employee has to be weighed against the cost of a partner.
Finally, the question of intellectual property and of the data generated by AI is also crucial, and it is worth questioning your subcontractors on these points.
In-house production and outsourcing of elearning content each have their own advantages, and bringing generative AI into the process opens up new possibilities. Every company has to assess its own needs, resources and objectives to determine the best approach, taking account of what AI can offer in creating learning content.
Article originally published on the conference site: